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2023 Best General Education Schools

476 Colleges
$48,719 Avg Salary
$23,394 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best General Education School for You

General Education is the #39 most popular major in the country with 29,810 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.

Today's students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. Along with traditional schools that require in-person attendence, you can attend one of many reputable online schools. Some programs even offer a hybrid experience. Alternatively, you may choose a trade school that prepares you to enter the workforce with knowledge in a specific field.

The Best General Education Schools ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 476 schools in the United States to see which ones offered the best programs for students.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best General Education Schools in the United States

Check out the education programs at these schools if you want to get the best education that money can buy.

Top 25 Top Schools in General Education

Our 2023 rankings named Claremont Graduate University the best school in the United States for general education students. Located in the large suburb of Claremont, Claremont Graduate University is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

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#2

Northwestern University

Evanston, IL

The excellent programs at Northwestern University helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best general education schools in the United States. Northwestern is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Evanston.

Read full report on General Education at Northwestern University

#3

Stanford University

Stanford, CA

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Stanford University. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best General Education Schools list. Located in the large suburb of Stanford, Stanford is a private not-for-profit college with a large student population.

Read full report on General Education at Stanford University

#4

Bellevue University

Bellevue, NE

Out of the 476 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Bellevue University landed the # 4 spot on the list. Located in the suburb of Bellevue, Bellevue University is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.

The average amount in student loans that education majors at Bellevue University take out is $25,000.

Full General Education at Bellevue University Report

#5

University of Florida

Gainesville, FL

The excellent programs at University of Florida helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best general education schools in the United States. UF is a very large public school located in the midsize city of Gainesville.

Full General Education at University of Florida Report

#6

Texas Christian University

Fort Worth, TX

Texas Christian University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best General Education Schools ranking. Located in the large city of Fort Worth, TCU is a private not-for-profit college with a large student population.

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#7

Whitworth University

Spokane, WA

Whitworth University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for general education students. It came in at #7 on the list. Located in the suburb of Spokane, Whitworth is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

Full General Education at Whitworth University Report

#8

Brandman University

Irvine, CA

Brandman University landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best general education programs. Brandman is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Irvine.

Full General Education at Brandman University Report

University of Washington - Bothell Campus came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best General Education Schools ranking. UW Bothell is a medium-sized public school located in the suburb of Bothell.

After completing their degree, education graduates from UW Bothell carry an average student debtload of $15,752.

Read full report on General Education at University of Washington - Bothell Campus

#10

University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA

With a ranking of #10, University of Pennsylvania did quite well on this year’s best schools for general education students. UPenn is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Philadelphia.

Read full report on General Education at University of Pennsylvania

#11

Brown University

Providence, RI

With a ranking of #11, Brown University did quite well on this year’s best schools for general education students. Located in the city of Providence, Brown is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.

Read full report on General Education at Brown University

#12

Gustavus Adolphus College

Saint Peter, MN

With a ranking of #12, Gustavus Adolphus College did quite well on this year’s best schools for general education students. Located in the town of Saint Peter, Gustavus Adolphus is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

Read full report on General Education at Gustavus Adolphus College

University of Washington - Seattle Campus did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for general education students. It came in at #13 on the list. Located in the large city of Seattle, UW Seattle is a public school with a very large student population.

Education majors at UW Seattle take out an average of $15,752 in student loans while working on their egree.

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#14

Harvard University

Cambridge, MA

Harvard University ranked #14 on this year’s Best General Education Schools list. Harvard is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of Cambridge.

Read full report on General Education at Harvard University

#15

Campbell University

Buies Creek, NC

Campbell University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for general education students. It came in at #15 on the list. Campbell is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the town of Buies Creek.

While working on their degree, education majors at Campbell accumulate an average of around $14,173 in student debt.

Read full report on General Education at Campbell University

University of Washington - Tacoma Campus came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best General Education Schools ranking. UW Tacoma is a medium-sized public school located in the city of Tacoma.

On average, education graduates from UW Tacoma take out $15,752 in student loans while working on their degree.

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#17

Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN

Vanderbilt University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for general education students. It came in at #17 on the list. Vanderbilt is a large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Nashville.

Read full report on General Education at Vanderbilt University

#18

Syracuse University

Syracuse, NY

Syracuse University ranked #18 on this year’s Best General Education Schools list. Syracuse is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the midsize city of Syracuse.

On average, education graduates from Syracuse take out $25,449 in student loans while working on their degree.

Read full report on General Education at Syracuse University

#19

St Olaf College

Northfield, MN

St Olaf College landed the #19 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best general education programs. St. Olaf is a small private not-for-profit school located in the distant town of Northfield.

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#20

Marquette University

Milwaukee, WI

Marquette University came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best General Education Schools ranking. Located in the large city of Milwaukee, Marquette is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.

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Saint Martin’s University ranked #21 on this year’s Best General Education Schools list. Located in the small city of Lacey, Saint Martin's is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

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#22

Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD

Johns Hopkins University landed the #22 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best general education programs. Located in the city of Baltimore, Johns Hopkins is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.

Full General Education at Johns Hopkins University Report

California State University - Sacramento did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for general education students. It came in at #23 on the list. Located in the city of Sacramento, Sac State is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Read full report on General Education at California State University - Sacramento

Concordia College at Moorhead did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for general education students. It came in at #24 on the list. Concordia College Moorhead is a small private not-for-profit school located in the midsize suburb of Moorhead.

Full General Education at Concordia College at Moorhead Report

University of California - Berkeley ranked #25 on this year’s Best General Education Schools list. UC Berkeley is a fairly large public school located in the midsize city of Berkeley.

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Rest of the Top Best General Education Schools

#26

University of Delaware

Newark, DE
#27

Saint Norbert College

De Pere, WI
#28

Juniata College

Huntingdon, PA
#29

Auburn University

Auburn, AL
#33

University of San Diego

San Diego, CA
#34

Westminster College Pennsylvania

New Wilmington, PA
#35

Gonzaga University

Spokane, WA
#38

New York University

New York, NY
#43

University of Virginia - Main Campus

Charlottesville, VA
#44

Illinois Wesleyan University

Bloomington, IL
#45

University of Georgia

Athens, GA
#46

Winona State University

Winona, MN
#47

Kansas State University

Manhattan, KS
#48

Southwestern University

Georgetown, TX

Additional Award Winners

This list shows the rest of the schools awarded a Best General Education Schools badge. Showing in this list means the college was ranked in the top 15% of the 476 different United States general education schools we analyzed.

Rank College Location
51 Saint Mary’s College of California Moraga, CA
52 NHTI-Concord’s Community College Concord, NH
53 Martin Luther College New Ulm, MN
54 Bank Street College of Education New York, NY
55 California State University - Channel Islands Camarillo, CA
56 University of Wisconsin - Madison Madison, WI
57 Calvin University Grand Rapids, MI
58 Augustana University Sioux Falls, SD
59 University of California - Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA
60 San Jose State University San Jose, CA
61 Purdue University - Main Campus West Lafayette, IN
62 California State University - San Bernardino San Bernardino, CA
63 Northeastern University Professional Advancement Network Boston, MA
64 California Baptist University Riverside, CA
65 Loyola Marymount University Los Angeles, CA
66 California State University - Fullerton Fullerton, CA
67 Monmouth University West Long Branch, NJ
68 Michigan State University East Lansing, MI
69 Valparaiso University Valparaiso, IN
70 Carthage College Kenosha, WI
71 Alma College Alma, MI

Honorable Mentions

These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best General Education Schools award.

Rank College Location
72 Dominican University of California San Rafael, CA
73 Notre Dame de Namur University Belmont, CA
74 University of California - San Diego La Jolla, CA
75 Minot State University Minot, ND
76 California State University - Fresno Fresno, CA
77 Ball State University Muncie, IN
78 Denison University Granville, OH
79 Tufts University Medford, MA
80 California State University - Bakersfield Bakersfield, CA
81 National University La Jolla, CA
82 Dominican University River Forest, IL
83 James Madison University Harrisonburg, VA
84 Azusa Pacific University Azusa, CA
85 Goucher College Baltimore, MD
86 Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota Winona, MN
87 Trinity Christian College Palos Heights, IL
88 California State University - Stanislaus Turlock, CA
89 Hamline University Saint Paul, MN
90 Saint Joseph’s University Philadelphia, PA
91 University of California - Riverside Riverside, CA
92 University of Wisconsin - Whitewater Whitewater, WI
93 Elmhurst University Elmhurst, IL
94 Northwest University - College of Adult and Professional Studies Kirkland, WA
95 Fairfield University Fairfield, CT

General Education by Region

View the Best General Education Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Great Lakes

One of 14 majors within the area of study, general education has other similar majors worth exploring.

Related Major Annual Graduates
Teacher Education Grade Specific 110,226
Educational Administration 46,469
Teacher Education Subject Specific 43,297
Special Education 36,792
Curriculum & Instruction 19,832

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.

  • Read more about our ranking methodology.
  • The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
  • Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
  • Credit for the banner image above goes to KOKUYO.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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